Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s visit to China last week might open the door to potential future cooperation in defence and security in a region which the United States sees as vital to its strategic interests.
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Lula’s packed schedule in Beijing on Monday included meetings with a range of business leaders, but one that stood out was his trip to see Chen Defang, president of the state-owned defence giant China North Industries Corporation (Norinco).
According to Brazilian media reports, a key focus of the meeting was Norinco’s potential acquisition of a stake in Avibras, a financially troubled Brazilian aerospace and defence company.
The meeting did not yield any formal agreements but the president’s chief of staff Rui Costa said there would not be any resistance to the Chinese firm doing business in Brazil or investing in Avibras, according to Brazilian media reports.
Brasil 247 also reported that the government was interested in applying Norinco’s expertise in public security technology, including facial recognition systems.
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Last year Norinco was reported to have submitted a proposal to acquire a 49 per cent stake in the company, Brazil’s leading manufacturer of heavy defence systems and the main supplier of missiles and rocket artillery to the country’s armed forces.